The Prime Minister said the Penang attacking midfielder’s achievement through his unique free kick, in Zurich on Monday (Tuesday in Malaysia), also made Malaysia proud.

“Congratulations Faiz Subri! Your achievement in #FIFAPuskasAward 2016 will be an inspiration to football players in Malaysia and is a pride to the country,” he said on Facebook and Twitter Tuesday.

Mohd Faiz’s stunning performance earned him 59.46 per cent of the votes, staving off the challenge for the award from two others, Johnath Marlone Azevedo da Silva from Brazil who obtained 22.86 per cent and female footballer Daniuska Rodriguez from Venezuela, who received 10.01 per cent.

The ‘most beautiful goal in the world’ from Mohd Faiz was executed through a free kick in a Super League match between Penang and Pahang on Feb 16, 2016.

The Ayer Hitam, Kedah-born footballer also created history by being the first player in Asia to receive the award named after legendary Hungarian player Ferenc Puska, a striker for Real Madrid in the late 50s and 60s, and player for his own country’s highly successful team in that era. – Bernama